"Shawn Michaels went to bat for me" - Popular AEW star on how The Showstopper convinced Triple H to push him in WWE

Shawn Michaels and Triple H have had a long friendship alongside an ongoing rivalry. Recently, a popular AEW star noted how Michaels convinced The Game to push him in WWE, resulting in a well-received run.

While the duo are best known for teaming together as D-Generation X, Triple H and Shawn Michaels have clashed numerous times across the years. Both legends were also heavily involved in the careers of many of the AEW stars that made a name for themselves in NXT.

During his recent appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, reigning Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland detailed how Hit Row was formed and how he found himself in the stable.

“That was just a management thing, a management decision! Hit Row wasn’t even our creation, it was a Triple H thing [he] put together," Strickland said. "It was supposed to be network exclusive and Hit Makers was gonna be Top Dolla, Ashante, and Brianna. But I started catching a lot of steam on television." [37:03 onward].

Swerve continued, recalling how he was only considered as the leader of the stable after Shawn Michaels had a one-on-one conversation with Triple H.

“When I got my solo run, arguing with Triple H every couple of months, he finally – honestly, Shawn Michaels went to bat for me. Had some one-on-one time where he was like to Triple H, ‘Ey, this guy right here? Let’s do it.’ And Triple H finally put some steam on me and that’s where it really took off." [37:33 onward].

Unfortunately, despite Michaels' efforts, Hit Row had an incredibly brief run on the WWE main roster before the entire team was released in late 2021.

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According to former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels is his personal greatest-of-all-time wrestler

Over the years, Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho have had some incredible matches, with their most memorable bout occurring at WrestleMania XIX. Unfortuntely, the last time the two legends faced each other was during the March 15th episode of in 2010, as Michaels would retire weeks later.

After Dave Meltzer had a Twitter debate with an online user, Chris Jericho chimed in to share his own opinion, noting that there's no debate.

"In my opinion, Shawn is the true GOAT. Not much of a debate for me," Jericho tweeted.

Currently, Michaels is leading the charge in WWE NXT, however with all the experience he's racking up backstage, could the legend someday make his way to AEW and help with production? Sounds off in the comment section below!